Cannabis prohibition started in 1906 with the Pure Food and Drug Act. At the time, states set their own public health laws, and cannabis was considered medicine and sold in pharmacies. On a national level, there was no such thing as an illegal drug. The Pure Food and Drug Act initiated the move toward prohibition by becoming the first national public health law, which included the power to label and remove products. However, cannabis prohibition does not have its roots in the natural democratic will of the people.